The balance of power and the power of balance

The strength of our government exists in its' balance of power and the checks and balances that were designed into the system by our country's founders. While the spotlight rests on the outcome of the next President of the United States, the control of the Senate and House of Representatives rests in the balance as well.

In this election there are 34 Senatorial seats up for election and all of the Representative seats are being decided by the voters. The majority of the seats are not being reported on by national media as it is quite typical for the incumbants to retain their positions for multiple terms. Nevertheless the races are very important in determining the direction legislation will take in the next term.

CNN just projected the first Senate seat pickup for the Democrats with a win for Barak Obama in Illinois. In order to regain the majority of the Senate the Democrats need to pick up 2 or 3 seats, depending upon the Presidential win because the Vice President can be the Senatorial tie-breaker.

The party that wins the majority in the House and Senate will have a great deal of power over the upcomming four years, regardless of the Presidential outcome.

Take a look at a past article in the Economist about the dangers and impact of gerrymadering on the layout of districting in the State races.